The Job
by BOOTTOTHEHEAD
Summary: Dick Grayson is a private investigator who gets hired to find a girl. However, he's not the only one looking for her... AU, a little RobxRae, but nothing much. Rated T just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1: The Job

**Hello! This is an AU story. It's one of those classic Film Noir things. Dick Grayson is a Private Investigator who gets hired by Garfield Logan to find a girl with something he needs. However, he's not the only one looking for her. Just for those of you who don't know,**

**Dick Grayson - Robin**

**Kori Anders - Starfire**

**Garfield Logan - Beast Boy**

**Victor Stone - Cyborg**

**Rachel Roth - Raven**

**Yes, there will be some RobxRae in here, but it's not going to be the whole thing. Enjoy, and please review... I need all the help I can get...**

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><p>It was coming down like hell out there. Some would say it was raining cats and dogs. I'd say it's more like the cats and dogs all decided to go skydiving without any parachutes. Same difference, really, but my way sounded cooler. I'm a hardboiled detective, whaddya want? My secretary, Mrs. Kori Anders, had just walked into the room. She seemed excited. I'd say giddy, but I'm supposed to be hardboiled. Hardboiled guys don't say stuff like giddy. We keep it cool.<p>

"Mr. Grayson! You finally have someone requiring your assistance!" She said happily. She was kinda naive at times, but what are you gonna do? She got the job done.

"Let them in." I replied. She left and returned followed by a man with- is that green skin? Nevermind. Must just be the lighting. He was wearing a white pinstripe suit. The expensive kind most guys can only afford if they had a successful father, or if they bashed a few heads in to get it. He was short to. Shorter than me, and that's saying something. He was followed by a big guy. Bodyguard, most likely. He was probably the one that bashed the head of the previous owner of the suit.

"You Grayson?" The greenish guy asked, trying too hard to sound tough. I just raised an eyebrow and put my feet up on the desk.

"I don't know, is that what it says on my door?" I replied sarcastically.

"Do you need to be taught a lesson?" The hired goon asked. His eyes were hidden by the shadow of his hat, but I could see a red light coming from one of them.

"Calm down, Victor. This guy's got moxy. I can respect that."

"Alright boss. Just watch your tongue, pretty boy." Once again, he glared at me.

"My name's Logan. Garfield Logan. I got a... problem. There's an ex girl of mine I gotta fine. Can you help?" He asked me.

"Depends on how important this dame is to you."

"It's not the girl so much as it's what I gave her. When she left, the only thing she gave me was a hurt cheek."

"I've got a pretty steep fee." I handed him a paper with a number. He whistled.

"That's a lot of zeros." Even ol' Red-eye's jaw seemed a little lower.

"A guy's gotta pay rent." I took my flask out of my desk and took a swig. "If you're not willing, however, Mrs. Anders can show you out."  
>"No! No. I'd pay anything to get this back. You bring me the girl, I pay you the money." He said, folding the paper and putting it in his coat pocket.<p>

"What is this 'thing' anyway? It must be pretty important to you."

"Just something my boss gave me for safe-keeping. I gave it to her 'cause I knew she wouldn't lose it. She has no idea what it is, but my boss needs it back. That's all you need to know. So are you gonna help a guy out?" I thought for a second. This sounded pretty shady, but I get mixed up in something new every week. Plus, I haven't gotten a good-paying case in a while.

"I can't work without a lead. Got a starting point?" I asked standing up.

"Yeah. Here's the address to where she works. Check there first." I recognized the place he gave me. Not a nice place. "She works nights."

"And if I bring her to you, you'll give me the money?"  
>"Every penny." This didn't sound right. He didn't seem like a very honest guy.<p>

"How do I know you won't just take what you need and leave it at that?"

"You're pretty bright. Here's some in advance." He slipped me an envelope. "It's not all there, but you'll get the rest when I get the girl." I looked inside. Pretty generous for an advance pay.

"I'm gonna need a name." I tucked the envelope in my breast pocket.

"Rachel Roth."

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><p>The next night I headed to the address he gave me. Once I got there, I asked the bartender if he knew Ms. Roth. He said she was a singer and was going to be going on in ten minutes. I took a seat, ordered a drink and looked around the room. It was crowded with people. Some seemed kinda shady, some pretty stupid. But there was one person that stood out. A girl with long, straight blonde hair was sitting alone at a table in a long yellow dress. She was looking around just as I was, obviously waiting for something. When she looked my way, we locked eyes and I could tell this wasn't a dame to mess with. The girl looked at me like I was a cockroach she was about to squash under her foot. She seemed to know why I was here, and I don't think she liked it. I turned towards the stage and waited for Ms. Roth to come on.<p>

A few minutes later, the curtains opened and a beautiful woman with short black hair and pale skin was standing in front of a microphone. The music started and after a few measures, she was singing. While listening, I wondered what a beautiful girl like her would be doing with a mousy little creep like Garfield. I suppose she must have wondered the same thing because they obviously hadn't been very happy together. Once she was done, I applauded with everyone else. She walked off the stage and went through a door in the corner. I got up to follow, but when I noticed the blonde woman standing up and heading in that direction, I waited until she was through the door before heading over and listening through it.

"-Don't know what you're talking about, Terra." A bored voice, I'm assuming Rachel, said. "I left Gar. I don't know what he would've done with whatever you're looking for. He was always keeping things from me."

"He gave it to you." A different female, probably the blonde girl, said, frustrated. "You must have some idea of what I'm talking about, and if you don't spill, Deathstroke isn't going to be happy."

Deathstroke. Deathstroke the Terminator, aka, Slade Wilson. I'd made the mistake of getting in this guy's business before, and I'd found out the hard way it isn't fun. If this man wanted whatever Mr. Logan had given her, he was either gonna get it, or hurt someone trying, and that 'someone' was probably going to be Ms. Roth.

"I already told you, Gar didn't give me anything!" Rachel said, her voice rising. "Now get out before I get really angry!" After she finished, I heard a crash, and what sounded like a struggle. I knocked on the door, but I was only answered with more crashes. I tried to open it, but it was locked. I started banging my shoulder into it.

After a few hard collisions, the lock gave and the door swung open. I was caught off-guard, and started flailing my arms to keep from falling flat on my face. I felt myself hit something, heard a grunt, and landed on the floor anyway. When I looked up, I saw I had bumped into the blonde, Terra, and had knocked her to the floor. She got up, and lifted a chair over her head. It was about to hit me when she was tackled by Ms. Roth. They both got up and continued their struggle. Terra threw a punch at Rachel, but she ducked and kicked her legs, causing her to fall. Rachel pinned her shoulders down, but Terra pushed her off, got up, and ran to the door.

"Another time, then." She said. "This isn't over, Ms. Roth." With that, Terra threw a metal object at Rachel, who didn't see it coming in time.

"Look out!" I shouted, pushing her out of the way. Whatever she had thrown blew up, and created a small explosion. Not big enough to cause any bodily harm if she had gotten hit, but enough to throw someone back.

After she was gone, I realized I was on top of Ms. Roth. I looked down at her. She had closed her eyes from the impact of her head hitting the floor, but when she opened them, she smirked.

"Well, usually I make a guy buy me a drink first."

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><p><strong>Woot! Chapter one finished! I hope you liked it! PLEASE review! I will gladly accept criticism! Just don't be to mean, I'm weak at heart. *faints*<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry, but this chapter is significantly shorter than the last one. Just as a warning, I have very littlei idea where the hell I'm going with this sooo... bear with me. Anyway, enjoy :)**

"So who was that, and why was she after you?" I asked after ordering another drink.

"I don't know. She came in demanding to know here some sort of gem was or something." Rachel said, obviously lying.

After Terra had escaped and we had found ourselves in such an... intimate position, she convinced me to buy her a drink to make up for it... Although, I don't really see how it was _my_ fault. I was just trying to help her...

"Alright then, why did she want it?" I inquired further.

"I don't know."

"Why are you lying?" I asked abruptly, catching her off guard. Her eyes widened, and smirked.

"I'm not." She said, regaining her calmness.

"Yes you are." I replied. I couldn't stop my smirk from growing into a grin. "You don't strike me as stupid, so you must have had _some_ idea of what she was talking about, even if Garfield just gave it to you without telling you why. So why are you lying to me? Why did you lie to her? Wouldn't it just have been better to give her what she wanted and put this all in the past?"

This created a long silence. When Rachel finally spoke up again, she seemed to have dropped the innocent act.

"It's not that I care more about that crappy piece of jewelry more than my life or anything. I don't know why Slade wants it so bad, but it can't be to spread happiness throughout the whole world with the power of hugs and cupcakes. Whatever he's planning it's not good, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I helped cause whatever's going to happen if he gets his hands on this gem."  
>"What else are you going to do?"<p>

"I... I don't know. I didn't really plan this out..." She said, looking down into her glass.

An awkward silence hung in the air between us. I knew I should do the right thing, but at the same time, Garfield was paying me a lot of money... A LOT of money.

"Hey, maybe we could make a deal. I'll help you work the rest of this out," Her eyes shot up at me in delight and surprise. "_if, _you help me with something."

After a few seconds, her eyes narrowed at me.

"What kind of something?"

"I've heard of Slade before, and if the evidence is correct, which it usually is, it's his fault I'm barely able to pay the rent each month. I'll get him off your tail, if you get me closer to him." I explained. She thought about this for a few seconds.

"You do realize that as soon as he's forgotten about me and the gem is far away from him and safe, you're on your own, right?"

"Obviously."

"And you do realize I'm not paying for this, right?"

"I'd never ask that of a lady."

"Sure. Maybe not a lady with a few drinks in her."

"Isn't a little early in our relationship for you to be making judgments about what kind of guy I am?"

"We don't have a relationship."

"Of course not. I wasn't implying-"

"Neither of us are interested-"

"And even if I _was_-"

"Which you weren't-"

"No. Definitely not-"

"I'm not looking to-"

"Neither am I-"

We both paused, looking at each other. I had a sudden urge to leave. I coughed.  
>"Well, here's my office address. Meet me there tomorrow at six. We can discuss this more then." I got up and left, hoping to completely forget about the conversation until tomorrow.<p>

By the time I got home, Rachel was temporarily non-existent.


End file.
